‘Community’ series geeks have much to celebrate with the announcement that the popular comedy series will be kept alive for another season. The NBC show survived over 5 years, with fans holding their thumbs in hopes of a renewal for a new season. The fifth season premiere for the hit TV series didn’t perform as well as expected, which raised concerns for the show’s future. The return of showrunner Dan Harmon was one of the big reasons for the anticipated return of the popular comedy show. The fifth season premiere only rake in 3.7 million viewers, compared to the show’s half-hour fourth-season opener which posted 32% more viewers checking in to see what the gang is up to.

Image courtesy of NBC.com

Image courtesy of NBC.com

Marking a record all-time low for a “Community” premiere, season 5 was bound to fail if the numbers didn’t turn in their favour. Deadline reported back in May, that “Community didn’t hit it out of the park in Season 5 but it didn’t blow it either, staying very close to the Season 4 average, which had earned a renewal. It averaged a 1.5 rating in adults 18-49, down 0.1 from last season, and actually gained viewership — 3.7 million vs. 3.5 million last season. It outrated NBC’s other returning Thursday comedy, Parks And Recreation, which has been renewed, despite facing much stiffer competition in CBS’ The Big Bang Theory.”

Harmon said about NBC’s stance on a Community renewal in March at PaleyFest (courtesy of Deadline)

“I think that we’re old reliable, like a Tupperware in the fridge,”

“We’ll find out when the network is the hungriest.”

Even though the show posted respectable ratings, season 5 was set to be their last dance….until now! Harmon also hinted at the possibility of the show finding a new home elsewhere with “whispers from dark corners” confirming suspicions. Netflix and Hulu was rumored to be in the mix, but Yahoo is now standing tall as the victor to breathe new life into one of our favorite comedy shows. Harmon himself announced that Yahoo! Screen ordered a 13-episode sixth season!

Image courtesy of NBC.com

Image courtesy of NBC.com

Harmon said in a statement Monday, June 30:

“I am very pleased that ‘Community’ will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo,”

“I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, ‘Big Bang Theory’. Look out, Bang Bus!”

Star Joel McHale added:

“The reports of our cancelation have been greatly exaggerated.’ – Mark Twain (The other version of this quote has been wrong for years). #SixSeasonsAndaMovie is real. Thank you Sony. Thank you Yahoo. Thank you Dan Harmon. And thank you to the greatest f%$#ing fans in the history of the human race. It’s the internet. We can swear now.”

The creative team responsible for the magic will still take charge of season 6. Russ Krasnoff, Gary Foster and Chris McKenna have been confirmed to return as executive producers. The show’s original cast members are also set reprise their roles for the new season, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Ken Jeong and Jim Rash have been confirmed so far.

Did I mention that seeing Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs on-screen is also a very good reason to start watching this show!?

Image courtesy of gq.com

Image courtesy of gq.com

For those of you not in the know, here is some info about the show (courtesy of NBC.com):

Heading into its fifth season, “Community” is a smart, exuberant comedy that is consistently ranked as one of the most inventive and original half-hours on television. This ensemble comedy centers on a tight-knit group of friends who all met at what is possibly the world’s worst educational institution – Greendale Community College. At the center of the group is Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, “The Soup”), a fast-talking lawyer who was caught with a phony college degree. Disbarred until he could earn a legitimate degree, Winger chose Greendale, thinking he could breeze through the mediocre school without a hitch. However, he soon found himself the reluctant leader of a disparate group of misfits, all stuck at Greendale for different reasons.

The study group includes Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), who dropped out of high school to “change the world” and soon found herself in her thirties with no marketable skills; Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown), a religious housewife who landed at Greendale after a messy divorce and is now blossoming into a headstrong entrepreneur; Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), a socially awkward but well-meaning pop culture savant; Annie Edison (Alison Brie), a high-strung perfectionist; Troy Barnes (Donald Glover), a former high school football star still trying to find his way; and Ben Chang (Ken Jeong ), a former Spanish teacher who is either insane or an evil genius, or both.

At Greendale’s helm is Dean Pelton (Jim Rash), an administrator whose ineptitude is matched only by his love of the school and his devotion to his students.